Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to swim caps, and more specifically relates to swim caps for persons with long hair or who fashion their hair in dreadlocks.
Description of the Prior Art
Swimming caps are often required to be worn in public pools for health reasons and to address other concerns. Long hair more frequently clogs pool and spa filters than short hair, and loose long hair in a pool is more noticeable and unappealing to other bathers. Hence, park and pool authorities often require bathers with long hair to wear swim caps.
Bathers also oftentimes prefer to wear swim caps to protect their hair from the effects of chlorine in the pool water or salt in the ocean or bay. Bathers also prefer to wear swim caps to keep their hair as dry as possible while swimming or enjoying aquatic activities.
One of the problems with conventional swim caps is that they tightly fit over a wearer's head and are uncomfortable to wear, especially for those who have long hair. Oftentimes, it is difficult, if not impossible, to fit a conventional, tightly-fitting swim cap over the head of a person who has long hair. Most swim caps are made from an elastic, rubberized material, but even with their elasticity, such swim caps do not comfortably permit their use on persons with long hair. Additionally, conventional, tightly-fitting swim caps often compress a user's hair therein, leaving the hair tangled and disheveled when the swim cap is removed.
Furthermore, the conventional, tightly-fitting swim caps are almost impossible to use by persons who have their hair fashioned in dreadlocks. Dreadlocks are a fashionable way of wearing one's hair in many different cultures and, because of the length of the hair and its arrangement in dreadlocks, conventional swim caps are not properly dimensioned to retain the dreadlocks within the confines of the swim cap.